Suter



H. SUTER June 26, 1951 DECIMAL-TRANSFER MECHANISM IN CALCULATING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 15, 1947 H. SUTER June 26, .1951

DECIMAL-TRANSFER MECHANISM IN CALCULATING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1947 June 26, 1951 H SUTER 2,558,631

I DECIMAL-TRANSFER MECHANISM IN CALCULTING MACHINES Filed July 15, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 H. suTl-:R 2,558,63l

'DECIMAL-TRANSFER MECHANISM IN oALcULATING MAcHINEs June 26, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 15, 1947 IN V EN TOR.

Patentecl June 26, 1.951

DECMAL-TRANSFER MEGHANISM IN' CALCULATING MACHINES Heinrich Suter, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to H. W. Egli A. G., Zurich, Switzerland Application July 15, 19471, Serial No. 761,002 In Switzerland January 17, 1945- Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires January 17, 1965,

2 Claims.

My present invention relates to improvements in decimal-transfer mechanism in calculating machines, and the main object of my improvements is to afiord a positively operating mechanism for high-speed operation.

In calculating machines of prior art, comprising stepped drums or racks, spaced parallel totalizer aXles are provided in the accumulatorv carriage for the ordinal columns, and decimal transfer is taking place, by itself, after the numerical value has been set. In such prior machines, the Operating speedV is limited in view of the danger of overthrowing the mechanism in decimal transfer.

A calculating machine is known in the art, in which, for the purpose of making high-speed operation possible, planet gears are provided for decimal transfer, the dia-ls being mounted on a Acontinuous shaft, such construction, however, is not suited for machines of the typev ind-icated above.

In accord with mypresent invention, spaced parallel totalizer aXles associated with the ordinal columns, are mounted in the accumulator carriage, which axles are interconnected by gearing so that-when turning one of the said axles by one unit-the axle of the next higher denominational column is coercively'turned for the requisite fraction of such unit, in order that-after a full revolution of the said first axle-the said second axle has been turned by a unit of its own from the first axle. Such inventive arrangement permits of opertaing the' calculating machine at a high operative speed.

When, e. g. in the decimal system, the totalizer aXle of the unit column has performed a full revolution, the axle of the tens column has been turned through an anglel corresponding to a unit thereof, the axle of the hundreds columns through an angle corresponding to the tenth part of a unit thereof, and so on. When dials are associated` with the totalizer axles, a correction device must be provided for turning or restoring the dials, which latter are given-due to the said. axleinterconnecting gearing-an additional fractional rotation corresponding to the Operating step, into the correct indicating position after finishing the calculation.

One form of invention is shown, by Way of example, in the drawings which substantially are limited to the parts and portions requisite for explaining my invention, and in which Fig. 1 shows an elevation,

Fig. 2 a partial horizontal section of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3- a top plan view of Fig. 1 and a section` 2: through the totalizer axles, a top frame-plate having been broken off,

Fig. 4' a partial side view of'Fig. 1,

Fi'g'. 5 in larger Scale, a portion of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 an el'evation of two adjacent totalizer aXles and the accessori'es stripped therefrom,

Fig. 7 a perspective view of several totalizer axl'es With their accessories,

Fig. 8' a perspective view of the frame With the totalizer axles and further parts,

Fig. 9 a plan view of portions of' the correction device,

Fig. 10 the same portions, but in a position different from Fig. 9', and' Fig. 11 a perspective view for explaining the correction device.

Fig. 11a, in Contrast. to Fig. ll shows parts in position of operation after beginning of operation.

Fig. 12- is a view partly in section of an operating handle.

The accumulator carriage (only partly shown) of a calculatingmachine equipped with stepped drums is provided with a rigid frame comprising' two longitudinal' horizontal' main plates f and; 2. which are fastl'y interconnected by stay bolts 3, a bottom plate 5 being mounted to thev lower' main plate i' by stay b'olts 4, and' a head plate to the top main plate 2v by stay bolts 6'. parallel total'izer axles 8 are` journaled in bottom plate 5 and head plate 1, and are providedV at their' foot ends with a bevel gear 9 pinned th'ereto. Gear Er c'ooperates with a pair of gearsv IO' (Fig. 4)' which are` pinned to' acommon hub. Thus' a reversing spool gear of known type is` affordedi,

operable by meansdisclosed in U. S. Patent to Suterv et al. No; 2,089,7=', August 10', 1937', including a controlV bar (not shown)- to slide on the squareV shaft |I- so as to' bring one or the other gear l to' mesh With gear 9v of axle- 8, according to whether the' latter is to be turned in the additive or' subtractive sense. The square` shafts l' l'- are rotatedv see- U. S. Patent No. 21,089,7-70 by stepped drums ('not shown). mounted oneach axle 8 and piossesses cireularl diisp'osed digits 0-9- which may be viewed. through'- a window i3`` provided in headl plate 1. Dial |=2` is pinned: to-the top. end of asleeve H. (Figs. 4, 6). mounted onI the respective axle 8: Two gears L5- a-nd |6 are pinned. to. the ends of sleeve' |4:-, and a disc I'lf to the. bottom. endL thereof. Disc: H is coupled to a' spider 119. by means ofV a pin.. L8, Spider 9 having a recess 201 (Fig. 5) forV engaging. pinV 18. Recess 2.0 of spider [9' on axl'e,`v 8, being associated: with. the first or unit. denominationalz column, corresponds,. according. to. Fig.. 2, tov the Five s diameter of coupling pin 18. The disc 1'1 appurtenant to the units denomination column has a circular periphery, whereas the other discs 1'1 have a notched periphery. Recess 29 of the spiders 19 'associated with the remaining totalizer axles 8, isV so dimensioned as to permt of a predetermined relative rotation between disc 11 and spider 19; the notched discs 1'1 represent corrections discs. Atension spring 21 biases coupling pin 18 into abutment against one end 'of elongated recess 20 in spiders 19. An internal gear 22 is pinned to each spider 19 and meshes with two planet Wheels 23 which are pivoted, diametrically opposite each other, to a common mount 24 which is fastly secured to the respective totalizer axle 8. The two planet wheels 23, on the other hand, mesh with a sun wheel formed by a pinion 25 mounted on axle 8. The sleeves 14 of adjacent axles 8 are of different length so that two groups of sleeves 14 are formed, and therefore the correction discs 1'1 are distributed in two planes in the said frame, as are the internal gears 22 of the planet gears, in order to permt of placing the axles 8 as close as possible to each other. To such end, the adjacent dials 12 also are superposed in two planes. The pinions 25 of the first, third and fifth ordinal columns thus are situated the said frame on a lower level than the pinions 25 of the second and forth ordinal columns. The pinions 25 of the second group are provided with a downwardly pointing `hub 25 (Fig. 6) which at its foot end has a gear 2'1 pinned thereto. Gears 2`1 are situated at one and the same elevation with the pinions`25 of the first group. -A set collar 28-mounted on each axle 8, permits of raising or lowering sleeve 14. Bevel gear 9 pinned to thel foot end of axle 8 is provided with a ratchet wheel 39 secured to its hub 29. VWheel 39 is positively engaged by a leaf spring 31 (Fig. 8) secured to the underside of main plate 1, so as to hold laxle 8 and, therefore, the corresponding dial 12 (by way of planet gear 25,-23, 22) in the correct indicating position.

An .auxiliary axle 32 (Fig. 7) is associated with two adj acent totalizer axles 8 each, parallel thereto, and a gear 33 pinned thereon meshes with gear 15 of sleeve 14 of an adjacent axle B. A pinion 34 is pinned to the foot end of auxiliary axle -32 (see also Fig. 4), which latter is journaled in the main plates 1 and 2, and meshes with a gear 35 which is pivoted on a stud 35 secured to main plate 1 and is operatively connected with the pinion 25 of the axle 8 belonging tothe next higher ordinal column, be that by direct engagement with pinion 25 situated on the' same level, or by .way of gear 2'1 when the corresponding pinion 25 is situated on a higher level than the associated gear 33. Sleeves 14 of axles 8, and thus the dials 12, are rotatably interconnected; such a driving ratio being provided that, when dial 12 of one ordinal column isrotated by one division or unit respectively, dial 12 of the next higher column is turned by one tenth of its own division (unit), even when a number (given by the calculation) is set at the same time into such column by means of dial 12'. Let us assume, number 385 has been transferred into the accumulator, dial 12 of the unit column then is in a position in which the digit vvappears in full, i. e. in the correct indicating position, in the respective window 13 of head plate '1.' Dial 12 of the tens column has been rotated,.additionally to its rotation from 0-8, by one half of a division, since dial 12 of the unit column has been rotated by five units. The cenf tral portion of the dial 12 associated with the tens column, therefore, becomes visible between the digits 8 and 9 in the corresponding window 13 of head plate '1. Dial 12 in the hundreds column has been turned from 0 to 3 and additionally from the unit column, by 5/100 of a division, and, from the tens column by of a division so that such dial 12 does not indicate (in the respective window 13 of head plate '1) the digit 3 as required by the number (385) essential for the calculation. In order to obtain the correct numerical indication, the dials 12 of the tensand hundreds-columns have to be turned back by the amount of the additional rotation mentioned. To such end, the said correction discs 1`1 are used, as well as their associated parts and portions which will be described below.

Fig. 9 shows the correcting arrangements of two adjacent calculating stations. In this case, in the first calculating station (at the left) the indicating disk 12 is shown set to "6; lever 59 and Operating rod 56 are still in Operating position. The automatically set indicating disk 12 in the second calculating station (at the right) is, due to partial movement, in an intermediate position (between two units). Since the indicating disk was set to "6 in the first calculating station, the correcting disk 1? of the second calculating station, the correcting disk 1? of the secondl Fig. 9, taken in conjunction with Fig. 10 shows' the Cooperation of the correcting lever 55 With the disk 1'1 and Fig. 1,0 shows the cooperation of these parts after the shaft 3'1 stops rotating.

According to Fig. 10 the Operating rod 55 in response to the pull of spring 62 has assumed a position in which the correcting levers 59 are able to swing out so that they can be forced against the correcting disks 1? by their springs 51. Since the correcting disk 1'1 of the first calculating station, (along with the indicating disk 12) was turned to the extent of one tooth or one full tooth division, and 'hence is not to be corrected, the correcting lever 59 comes to rest with its tip on the fiattened-off tip 75 of a toothlof the correcting disk 1'1. Since, in the second calculating station, the correcting disk is turned to the extent ofl of the tooth or figure division, the correcting lever 59 springs into the corresponding tooth gap of the correcting disk 1'1 which is set back as a result thereof and due to Cooperation of the fiank of the correcting lever 59 with the flank ll of the corresponding tooth.

In the case of the correcting arrangement provided by the present invention, the correcting lever 59 therefore cooperates directly With the correcting disk 1'1 which is rigidly attached to the indicating disk 12. This permits of an exact and rapid operation because practically no lost motion is present and therefore no movement losses can occur.

The numeral 3'1 in Fig. 11 designates the main shaft of the calculating machine, which is journaled in two rigidly interconnected side shields 38 and 39 which pass, with a stepped portion,

underneath main plate 1', and shields 38 and 39 are at right angles to the latter. A cam disc 45 w is pinned to main shaft 3'1 and cooperates withl a bell crank 41 which is pivoted on a pin 42 fastly secured to shield 38. Bell crank 41 is vbiasedbya tensionspring 4.3 whichengages'the second arm thereof. The latter receives a rod in a fork 44 below main plate Rod; 45. is supported at its end in two levers 45 and 41 passingthrough openings in the bottom main plate I. Levers 45 and 41 ar fulcrumed on a bar 48 and thus and oscillating structure is formed. The latter is journaled in the bearing blocks 49 and 50 which are secured to main plate |l and which receive the bar 48. The said structure cooperates, by means of a second arm of lever 41, with a'twoarm auxiliary lever 5| which to such end is provided with a skew face 52 at one end. Auxiliary lever 5| is pivoted on a stud 53 secured to main plate and is adapted, at its second arm, as fork 54 which receives a pin 55 of a fiat control bar 56. The latter has longitudinal slots 51 wherein the pins 58 of the correcton levers 50 are engaged. A correcton lever 59 (Figs. 11, 8, 3) is associated with each ordinal column, with the exception of the unit column, and is of angular shape and cooperates with the correction disc |1 provided on thev respective totalizer axle 8. Each of the four correcton levers 59 shown, two of which are disposed below and two above control bar 55, is pivoted on a Vertical pin G01 secured to main plate l, and is biased by a spring 6| into abutment against the periphery of the respective correcton disc |1. A spring 02 biases auxiliary lever 5| (Fig. 11).

4A crank handle 63, 94 is pinned to one end of shaft 31 on which cam disc 40 is mounted. Handle 54, together with a pin 53 mounted coaxial therewith, is adapted axially displaceable, in a limited sense and against the action of a tension spring G5. Pin 66 co-acts with a two-arm trigger 61 which is pinned to a shaft 68 journaled in the shields 38, 39, and which is biased by a spring 59. Trigger 61 normally thus is held engagved, as shown in Fig. 11, by pin B6. A dog 10 is keyed to shaft 68, and co-acts with a pin 1| fixed to bell crank 4|.

Figg. 11a shows the correcting lever 59 withthe bolt 58 in the position which they assume with respect to the slot 51 of the Operating rod 56 after the crank 53v starts to'rotate; in Fig. 11 these 1 parts are shown as a rest..

The correcton gear described operates as follows:

According to the example assumed above, the

number 385 has been transferred into the accumulator; the dials |2 of all ordinal columns, with the exception of the unit column, being not in their proper indicating position, as explained above, due to the additional rotation impressed thereon. The correcton takes place by turning main shaft 31, for which purpose. handle 64, against the action of spring 05, is axially displaced until pin 66 is disengaged from trigger 61. The crank handle 03 then is turned in direction of the arow shown in Fig. 11. Trigger 61, released from pin 65, is rocked by spring 89; such rocking being limited by a stop pin 12 fixed to shield 39. Dog 10, during such rocking of trigger 61, is swung into abutment against the stop pin 1|, fixed to bell crank 4|. During the said rotation of main shaft 31, bell crank 4| is so rocked by cam disc 40, as to engage pin 1l-after temporarily pushing back dog 10-by hook 13, upon which bell crank 4| is held fast in the corresponding position; in which bell crank 4| is disengaged from recess 14 provided on disc 40. During such rocking the structure 45 48 is rocked by bell crank 4|, so that lever 41 turns auxiliary lever 5| over its skew face 52, against the action of spring G2. Control bar 50 thus is LiO displaced, in direction of the arrow shown Fig. ll, so far as to disengage the correcton levers 59 coupled thereto from the notches of correcton discs |1, and to release the latter for rotation. At the end of a revolution of main shaft 31, bell crank 4| again may be brought to cooperate with cam disc 40 or into engagement with recess 14 thereof respectively. Bell crank 4| however, remains locked in its said position by dog; 10, at the end of one rotation, when an addition or subtraction is involved, or at the end of a plurality of rotations at a given calculating station, when multiplications are involved until handle 04, Figure 12, is drawn rearward by spring 05, thus bringing pin 60 into the track of detent 61. Pin 50 then abuts against detent 61 and swings same backward, against the action of spring 69, whereupon dog 10 trips bell crank 4|, due to a corresponding rocking of shaft 68. Bell crank 4| then again is engaged in recess 14 of cam disc 40 (being biased by spring 43), while, on the other hand, bell crank 4|, swings back the oscillating structure 45-48. Spring 62 biasing auxiliary lever 5|, causes control rod 56 to be withdrawn, and thus the state of conditions shown in Fig. 11, is re-established. Such restoration only will be brought about when the numerical value set into the. calculating machine has been transferred into the accumulator, as otherwise bell crank 4 at each revolution of mainv shaft 3`l. would drop into recess 14 of cam disc 40 in the course of the calculating operation, either when multiplying or divding. When the handle 64 and hence the pin 56, at the end of one or more rotations at a given calculating station, moves the shaft 68 and hence lever 10 through agency of lever 01 so far that the abutment 13 of the lever 10. releases the lever 4| the latter, under the influence of spring 43, drops into the recess 14 of the control disc 40.

When transferring the numerical value in question into the accumulator, dials |2 are set inV the manner hereinbefore described, bell crank 4| of the correcton gear being disengaged from cam disc 40. During the last revolution of main shaft 31, the correcton gear again is. brought into the state according to Fig. 11, the correcton levers 59, biased by the Springs 6|, being rocked with their cranked end against the correcton disc |1, due to the restorationv of control bar 56. Dial |2 of the unit column is in its numerically correct indicating position, and (as shown in, Fig. 10) a tip 15 of the toothed correcton disc |1 is in the track of correcton lever 59 which,

' therefore, is engaged by the said tip during th said rocking. The correcton discs |1 of the remainingl dials |2, which have been rotated for the purpose of transferring the tens-which rotation, in the numerical example given, constitutes an additional rotation for the dials |2 of the tens column, the hundreds column and the other higher columns-occupy a position wherein the appurtenant correcton levers 59 cooperate (in the sense of Fig. 9) by their arcuate face 15 with the correspondingly adapted guide face 11 of a tooth of the associated correcton discs |1. These levers 59 thereby are rocked by their Springs 0| until they abut with their tip against the bottom of the respective interdental gap, while correspondingly turning the correction discs |1 rearwardly. The dials |2 associated with all the denominational columns, with the exception of the unit column, and which have been turned for decimal transfer purposes, now again are in their numerically correct indicating iasussi position or, respectively, in their zero position,

provided that they have not been turned during the'icalculating operation by one unit at'least. The totalizer axles 8 must remain unbiased by the said turning back of dials |2 or correction discs |1 respectively, in order to maintain the registered numerical value unchanged for an eventual extension of the calculating operation. To such end, the leaf springs 3| acting on the `ratched Wheels 30x are subjected to a higher stress than the springs 2| biasing the coupling pins |8 of the corrections discs l'l. The coupling pins, by the springs 2|, normally are held in abutment (in the sense of Fig. 2) against one end of recess 20 provided in spider 19. The said recesses 20 afford the lost motion required for the said turning back of dials |2. Since during the calculating operation, dial |2 of the units column does not have to undergo an additional rotation, pinion 25 associated with the plane gear of Vthis first column, is locked (Figs. 7, 1) against rotation by a detent 18 (Fig. 7) secured to main plate The upper gear IE provided on sleeve H of each axle 8, cooperates with a rack 8d longitudinally displaceable on the top main plate 2 in guide lugs 19. The rack 80 serves for clearing or zeroizing the values which have been transferred into theaccumulator. The rack 80 thus forms a component of the clearing mechanism, of which aV slide 8| yet is Vshown in Figs. 1 and 2. Slide 8| is guided displaceable on two brackets 82 and 83 fastly secured tol main plate 2. Restoring slide 8|,- according to Fig. 1, is coupled at the right hand end toa detent arm 84 which is pivoted to a bracket 85 secured'to head plate and which serves for cooperating with a dog 86 secured to clearing rack 8B. A spring 81 engages the left-hand end (as seen in Fig. 1) of restoring slide 8|; and the latter on the bottom is guided displaceably at the said end on a bracket 88 fastly secured to the lowerV main plate l. Two square followers 89 each are secured to slide 8|, in 'a lower and an upper plane. each to cooperate with a stay pin 9|) (Fig. 4) secured to the internal gear 22 of the planet gear disposed in the corresponding plane.

' Instead of operating main shaft 37 by hand, a motor drive also may be provided therefor. The correction mechanism described may be dispensed with, when no visible indication of .the numerical values transferred into the accumulator carriage is desired, i. e. when such values are recorded in the machine. The inventive mechanism, of course, also may be applied to calculating machines which do not operate according to the decimal system. In such case, the driving' or 'transmission ratio for'the planet gears 22--'-25 associated with the totalizer shafts 8, has to be selected such that, upon rotating a shaft 8 through one unit, the shaft of the next higher denominational order is rotated through the requisite fraction of such unit, in order thatafter a full revolution of the said first shaftthe said second shaft has been rotated through a unit of its own denominational column.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a calculating machine, of the Thomas type, a figure mechanism carriage with a result mechanism having results shafts disposed parallel to each other, on each of which an indicating disk together with a correcting disk attached thereto is journaled, each of said correcting discs being provided with ten actuating teeth, the result shafts and the indicating disks being mechanically connected, each through a planetary gear, so that, when an indicating disk is turned to the extent of one unit value, the indicating disk of the next higher value position will be positively turned a partial unit, for the purpose of carrying over the tens, and so that a correcting lever, which is assigned to said correcting disk, and is coupled with a common control rod, is caused to cooperate With the said actuating teeth for turning back the indicatingV disk as required at any time for correctly indicating the values. i

2. Calculating machine as per claim 1, and'in which the correcting disk is coupled with a toothed periphery of the respective planetary gear, so as to provide a certain amount of play between the planetary gear, and the correcting disk so as to make it possible to turn 'back the latter.

HEINRICH SUTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: i

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 312,014 Pottin Feb. 10, 1885 1,508,762 Bacon Sept. 16, 1924 1,842,584 Chase Jan. 26, 1932 1,853,054 Horton Apr..12, 1932 2,089,682 Chase Aug. 10, 1937 2,388,209 Friden Oct. 30, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,247 Great Britain Aug. 1, 1889 217,539 Switzerland June 16, 1942 

